Celebrating Three Decades of Friends in the Cañon

By Rob Lucey, Friends of Cheyenne Cañon, Treasurer

In 1992, Bill Clinton denied the first George Bush a second term in the Oval Office, Somalia erupted in civil war, Hurricane Andrew slammed Florida, Space Shuttle Endeavour made its maiden voyage, the Cartoon Network launched on cable TV, the summer Olympics took place in Barcelona, the U.N. hosted an Earth Summit in Brazil, and a group of Colorado Springs residents formed the Friends of Cheyenne Cañon.

A lot has changed in the three decades that followed, but FOCC is still going strong!

Initially developed in the early 1880s as a retreat for students and faculty of Colorado College, Cheyenne Cañon park quickly became popular with the general public. Famed author Helen Hunt Jackson joined a movement to convince the city to acquire the property. In 1885, Colorado Springs residents voted to purchase the 640 scenic acres, making North Cheyenne Cañon Park one of the oldest parks in the city. Over the years, it has grown to more than 1,600 acres with numerous popular trails.

In 1990, a historic stone home that had been moved to the canyon’s entrance opened as the Starsmore Discovery Center. Two years later, the Friends group formed, largely as a means to organize volunteers supporting educational programs at Starsmore.

It all started on Dec. 7, 1992, when a pre-board meeting was held to launch the process of formalizing the organization. On Jan. 21, 1993, the Friends of Cheyenne Cañon name was chosen and the seven original board members chose Kaye Watson as the first president. Bylaws were passed, dues of $10 set, a mission statement drafted, and a first donation of $405.80 was received from the Palmer Foundation.

FOCC was one of the first Friends groups in the city. Today, the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services department recognizes sixteen friends groups (https://coloradosprings.gov/parks/page/friends-groups) that volunteer to coordinate projects and raise funds to support parks throughout Colorado Springs. But we like to think FOCC sets the standard for other groups.

Among the many activities the organization has organized or supported over the years are:

• Created a Hummingbird Garden at Starsmore in 1992.

• Sponsored an annual Hummingbird Festival beginning in 1993.

• Hosted volunteer Cañon Clean-up events since 1995.

• Sponsored a Founder Day Party to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Starsmore Discovery Center and donor Mary Starsmore’s 95th birthday.

• Funded outdoor education programs for area youth starting in 1995.

• Assisted in city park volunteer recruitment and training since 1995.

• Participated in the Master Plan process for the park in 1998 and again in 2018.

• Hosted several Canvases in the Cañon art events.

• Successfully lobbied to preserve the adjacent Stratton Open Space in 1998.

• Sponsored National Hummingbird Day since 2000.

• Produced numerous brochures, newsletters, t-shirts and a website to promote the park.

• Ran retail gift shops in Starsmore Center and, later, the Cub for more than a decade starting in 2003.

• Trained and hosted volunteers for trail repair and maintenance days starting with the formation of a Trails Committee in 2004.

• Participated in a Forest Health and Management plan for the park.

• Supported the Ute tipi building program to promote awareness of the area’s Native American heritage.

• Helped fund seasonal employees in the park for several years.

• Enjoyed the support of an active Teen Advisory Board for several years.

• Partially funded several new trails throughout the park including the recently opened Daniel’s Pass trail, and partially funded major work on Columbine Trail, Mt. Muscoco Trail and Silver Cascade Falls Trail.

• Applied for and won numerous grants to support projects throughout the park including preservation of historic structures.

• Hosted the annual Canya Cañon race and family hike.

• Helped apply for and gain inclusion of the park on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

• Hosted a Halloween Festival at the Starsmore Center since 2010.

• Designed, built and furnished the Cub Visitor Center at Helen Hunt Falls (largely with funds from the Bristol Brewery’s annual charitable Cheyenne Cañon Piñon Nut Brown Ale sales), finishing in 2012.

• Funded a permanent safety fence above Helen Hunt Falls.

• Funded field trips to the park from schools that otherwise couldn’t afford to expose students to the area’s natural wonders.

• Hosted educational and social events for volunteers and members of the Friends.

Each year, the park serves as a major recreational resource for many thousands of local families and visitors who come to hike, picnic, backpack, cycle, climb, photograph, bird watch, dog walk, and just explore all that nature has to offer.

Since the founding of that small group of Friends in 1992, hundreds of FOCC members, volunteers, board members and supporters have given thousands of hours and many more thousands of dollars to protect, enhance and support the park that so many enjoy.

As bridge work in the canyon nears completion, we will be planning several special activities to mark this major milestone along with all the Friends of Cheyenne Cañon.

It’s Time to Re-Join the Friends of Cheyenne Cañon

As we mark the 30th Anniversary of the first Friends meeting, we have launched a new Friends of Cheyenne Cañon membership campaign. 

During the past few years, FOCC had discontinued collecting membership dues. But now we have identified several projects in the park that can use some extra funding.

The new campaign officially launched at our Hummingbird Festival in early May. So if you are wondering if your membership has lapsed and you didn't join at the Hummingbird Festival, then it's time to renew.

We would like to invite both old Friends and new Friends to join us at the Starsmore Level for a special $30 for our 30th Anniversary rate. To show our appreciation, we will send you a membership card featuring free drink offers from several local vendors who support our efforts. You will also receive invitations to all of our 30th anniversary activities over the coming year.

For those who want to do a little bit more, you can join at the Cutler Level for $60 and we will get you a special 30th Anniversary T-shirt along with your membership card.

And for our extra special friends, you can join at the Muscoco Level for $120 or above. Along with your card, we will get you either two T-shirts or a T-shirt and entry in this year’s Canya Cañon race.

Our FOCC Founders and Lifetime Members - Where Are They Now?

When the Friends of Cheyenne Canon, Inc. filed official articles of incorporation with the State of Colorado to form a nonprofit corporation on April 29, 1993, seven intrepid founders signed on as the initial directors.

In order to preserve our history, we would love to chat with any of these (or other) earliest members to record their memories of the organization’s earliest projects.

If you know any of our founders, please ask if they could reach out to us. They are:

Carolyn Barnes, Marthe Earle, Nan Frier, Willie Gatza, Shawne Gross, Barbara Stephenson and Kaye Watson.

We are also trying to compile a list of our those members who were honored with Lifetime Membership in the past. In a volunteer organization, records aren’t always as good as they should be. We know there are several Lifetime Members in the community, but unfortunately we don’t know who they all are.

If you are a Lifetime Member or know of one, please let us know so we can create a record.

Either call or text Rob Lucey at (281)627-6818, e-mail Rob@cheyennecanon.org or leave a note at the Starsmore Center with the best way to reach out.

Donation Matching Campaign for Colorado Gives Day

In celebration of Colorado Gives Day this Tuesday, Dec. 7, an anonymous couple has pledged to double any donations made to the Friends of Cheyenne Cañon up to a total of $5,000. All you have to do is click the Donate button and send some love to Cheyenne Cañon. Help us to maximize this special gift to the Cañon.

Donate

What kind of projects do your donations support? We are excited about several accomplishments this past year, as well as an opportunity to support the future projects in the park.

• We hosted a Spring cleanup (although the traditional fall cleanup was hampered by the current road closing in the cañon for much needed bridge work).

• We mustered Master Gardeners and enthusiastic volunteers to revitalize the Hummingbird Garden in front of Starsmore Visitor and Nature Center.

• We dedicated the gardens to past FOCC President and longtime friend Chris Byer who passed away in October of 2020. A group of her friends gathered at the Mesa pavilion in the park in August to celebrate Chris’ life.

• We hosted a highly successful Halloween festival in October.

• In November we celebrated the opening of the new Daniel’s Pass trail, funded in part by the FOCC and proceeds from Bristol Brewery’s Piñon Nut Brown Ale.

• We also hosted a virtual Canya Cañon race raising more than $500 from runners (and hikers) who summited both Mt. Cutler and Mt. Muscoco before returning to Starsmore via the new trails and Columbine trail.

Looking forward to 2022, we will be building on these events in a big way. The park will mark the 30th anniversary of the 1992 arrival of the Starsmore Center, which quickly became a focal point for activities in the park.

It was in December of that year that a group of park supporters met to organize one of the city’s first friends groups. Friends of Cheyenne Cañon formed mostly to support educational parks programs at Starsmore, but it has grown to accomplish much more over the past three decades. From rebuilding the Cub at Helen Hunt Falls to building and maintaining trails, hosting special events to spearheading historic preservation grants, FOCC has helped Cheyenne Cañon to remain a vibrant destination for residents and guests to enjoy the beauty of Colorado Springs’ natural splendor.

As we approach our 30th Anniversary, the FOCC will be planning special activities to mark the occasion. But to round out this year, some special friends have issued a challenge to help support the organization. Thank you for your donation towards this matching campaign and for your ongoing support of the historic North Cheyenne Cañon Park.

Canya Cañon 2021 Results and Recap

Thank you to everyone who came out and ran Virtual Canya Cañon! We enjoyed hearing how everyone liked the new Daniel’s Pass trail system and we loved seeing your photos. We appreciate your support of North Cheyenne Cañon Park and we look forward to hosting the event in person next year.

Results

Joseph Gray 1:08:35
Ace Brown 1:09:15
Kristina Mascarenas 1:24:38
Cory Linfield 1:29:47
Meghan Cogswell 1:54:41
Brian Pilger 2:00:06
John Jurgens 2:01:11
Morgan Weinberg 2:02:10
Melissa Mincic 2:05:12
Joe Miller 2:11:24
Benjamin Cogswell 2:16:12
Denise Flory 2:22:53
Joel Gibson 2:24:59
Gary Carollo 2:29:24
Megan Jurgens 2:36:26
Amanda Morgenstern 2:37:22
Allisa Linfield 2:37:22
Stephanie Atencio 2:44:47
Carolyn Birchfield 2:46:40
Luke Graham 2:47:58
Kevin Shaw 2:45:48
Sydney Wegner 3:34:29
Becky Wegner 3:34:29
Chuck Platt 3:53:53
Rob Lucey 5:20:00

If you registered for the event and you would like to submit your results, please email your elapsed time and verification (Strava or other link) to allisa@cheyennecanon.org. Feel free to email photos from your run if you would like them to be featured on this webpage.

When the Century Flood Hit Cheyenne Cañon

This year has been thankfully moist so far, helping to alleviate concerns about drought conditions. But a century ago, people were more worried about washing away.

The summer of 1921 was one of the the five wettest on record, according to the National Weather Service. For June-August, Colorado Springs recorded 13.05 inches of rain, well above 7.51-inch all-time average going back to 1895.

And a large percentage of that record rain fell in the Arkansas River Basin June 2-5. Cheyenne Cañon took a major hit, with a flood washing out the road and damaging bridges. But that destruction was overshadowed by the massive blow sustained by our neighbors to the south.

In a 1922 report by the U.S. Department of the Interior investigating the flood found that it had resulted from a collision between a low pressure system several states to the north and a high pressure system over Arizona, creating a circling movement that drew the storm from the northeast.

“South of Pikes Peak the from range and line of foothills turn sharply westward for 20 miles and then near Canon City swing quickly to the south and southeast and keep that course for 20 miles. This reentrant angle in the general line of the front range had a marked influence on the storm, causing it to concentrate at that point,” the authors found. “This circular motion cause the clouds to impinge against the side of the mountains so violently that they rose quickly and precipitated their moisture with great rapidity.”

The National Weather Bureau reported rainfall totals for June 2-6 of 6.9 inches in Florence, 6.24 inches in Pueblo, 5.18 inches in Colorado Springs, 5.91 inches in Lake Moraine, and 7.05 inches at the U.S. Forest Service Fremont Experiment Station near Manitou Springs off the present day Barr Trail. Most of that water funneled down Fountain Creek heading south to where it merges with the Arkansas River in Pueblo.

The Great Flood in Pueblo still ranks as one of the deadliest disasters in Colorado history, claiming at least 500 lives — an official tally was never determined as many bodies washed downstream were never recovered. The Arkansas River spilled over its banks and engulfed what was at the time Colorado’s second largest city. The surging water knocked two passenger trains off the tracks, washed out every bridge between Colorado Springs and Pueblo, and destroyed more than 600 homes. During the height of the flood, fertilizer stored in lumberyards caught fire and sent flaming rafts drifting atop more than 10 feet of water through what had been Pueblo’s business district.

In the aftermath, the city spent years re-building, re-directing the river and constructing a mammoth flood control system. Pueblo was never the same. Documenting the centennial of the flood, Rocky Mountain PBS released a moving remembering the disaster (https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/rocky-mountain-pbs/great-pueblo-flood-100-year-anniversary/) and the state’s El Pueblo Museum mounted an exhibit called “High Water Marks” that runs through October (https://www.historycolorado.org/exhibit/high-water-marks).

Back in Colorado Springs, the storm damage was not nearly as devastating, but still significant. Sand Creek was 15 feet deep, Fountain Creek overflowed and Shook’s Run became a river with water flooding several blocks in the northwestern part of town. South Nevada Avenue was completely flooded.

In Cheyenne Cañon, the inundation hit the re-set button on the park’s infrastructure. The park had long been a major attraction, with many visitors riding Winfield Scott Stratton’s trolley along Cheyenne Creek up to the park entrance. Some enjoyed the amenities of the 20-acre Stratton Park at the junction of North and South Cheyenne creeks. Others hiked up North Cheyenne Cañon to the Bruin Inn and Helen Hunt Falls.

The first of many bridges built with local rock had been constructed in 1914. Three years later, the trail up the canon had been converted to a one-way road with limited automobile access.

When the 1921 flood hit, the seven-year-old road was washed out.

Among those visiting the park at the time was a group 50 students from Pueblo’s Centennial High School who were celebrating the recent end of their school year with a “one-day” picnic. In “Pueblo Lore,” a 2011 collection of flood accounts compiled by the Pueblo County Historical Society, Arla Aschermann wrote that: “They had left town Friday morning in automobiles to spend the day at Bruin Inn, a resort at the top of Cheyenne Cañon. Soon after their arrival at the Inn a rain storm set in that lasted well into the next day. The small creek running down the mountainside near the Inn soon became a raging torrent carrying with it large boulders which made crossing it almost impossible.

“By evening, a report came that a bridge below had gone out. Nevertheless, several of the party attempted a descent but turned back. There was nothing to do but to stay the night at the Inn, which was not prepared for such an occasion. The girls and the chaperones were supplied with cushions from the cars and the boys spent the night as best they could on hard board benches.

“The next morning they found the pathway down impassable, so decided to try to get to Colorado Springs and the train by walking down the Cripple Creek Shortline tracks [now Gold Camp Road]. They made it, but not without a few thrills. At one point a huge landslide rushed down without warning, almost on top of the party. It filled one of the railroad passes for approximately 150 feet at a depth of about 20 feet.

“Just before reaching the Springs they had to clamber down a long, steep, wet sand band and wade through the flooded mountain stream. They finally reached the Dixieland, a summer resort in Stratton Park and learned for the first time definite news regarding the situation in Pueblo, although they had received news of a flood warning the night before when they had tried to reach their parents by phone.

“The party at last arrived in Colorado Springs, where they found they could not go on because of washouts on the auto highway and the railroads.”

The marooned picnickers were well taken care of by citizens of the Springs until they were able to return home by train six days after their one-day excursion began.

The destruction those students had witnessed in the Cheyenne Cañon was soon repaired. Within a year, the city began re-building the road as the two-lane route we still enjoy today.

The 1921 flood in Cheyenne Cañon is now a distant memory, marked only by a fleeting mention in the signage describing the park’s stone bridges adjacent to the main parking lot at the Starsmore Center.

In 1925, Stratton Park was sold and subdivided into housing lots. But the Bruin Inn continued to draw visitors until it was destroyed by fire in 1957, leaving only a stone sign and The Cub, a log structure originally built as a hay barn. It served as a curio shop and was converted into a visitors’ center. In 2012 it was re-built with funds raised by the Friends of Cheyenne Cañon, including donations through the Indy Gives Campaign, profits from Bristol Brewery’s Cheyenne Cañon Piñon Nut Brown Ale, and grants from The Anschutz Foundation, among others.

Sesquicentennial Trees Coming to Cañon

When Colorado Springs was founded in 1871, it was a nearly treeless, arid plain. Our founder, General William Jackson Palmer, changed that by planting thousands of trees.

To celebrate this legacy, the city has challenged the community to help plant 18,071 new trees by the end of 2021. This month, some of those trees will be planted on the hillside above Helen Hunt Falls in North Cheyenne Cañon Park.

Among his many legacies, General Palmer bestowed more than 2,000 acres of parkland upon the city. These parks — including Alamo, Acacia, Antlers, Monument Valley and Palmer Park — still include some of the most sweeping, majestic views in the world.  

Another of Palmer's amazing gifts to our community is our tree-lined city streets. When he gazed across the blank canvas of land along Fountain Creek with the Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak as a backdrop, the Civil War hero and railroad magnate saw not emptiness, but rather envisioned a burgeoning European style city.

To help convey his vision, Palmer laid out the broad streets of the community and had 10,000 trees delivered and planted to create a verdant lushness. Today, it is difficult to imagine Colorado Springs without its established urban forest.

Perhaps coincidentally, next year marks another significant sesquicentennial: the 150th anniversary of the first Arbor Day. The event was founded on April 10, 1872 to encourage tree planting on the plains of the Nebraska Territory. It is estimated that more than 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska on that first Arbor Day.

The idea quickly spread and by the early 20th century, tree planting was celebrated across the nation. Today, National Arbor Day is officially the last Friday of April, although many states mark the occasion on different dates depending on optimal tree-planting times.

The trees designated for planting around Helen Hunt Falls are scheduled to arrive April 23 with planting planned for April 30 and May 1, weather permitting. A few volunteers will help with the planting.

If you can’t make it to the tree planting in North Cheyenne Cañon Park, you can still participate in the Sesquicentennial Tree Challenge by planting your own trees. The city has a website that includes a list of recommended trees, planting tips, and a fun COS150 Tree Tracker to include your new trees in the final tabulation. Your trees will then appear on the official Tree Tracker Map. So far, 3,735 trees have been planted by 1,388 participants.

Visit coloradosprings.gov/tree150 for details.

Support the Friends through Amazon Smile

Yesterday I spent $100 on Amazon for a rug, a car charger and a solar light. The thing that made that purchase special is that I went through the smile.amazon.com site, so the Friends of Cheyenne Cañon received a 50-cent donation.

AmazonSmile is exactly the same as shopping through the regular Amazon site with one simple difference: a portion of your purchase is donated to the charity you designate.

I went to the smile.amazon.com, logged in as usual, and chose the Friends of Cheyenne Canon as my preferred charity. Now Amazon donates 0.5% of all my purchases to help preserve the natural resources of North Cheyenne Cañon Park. As a result of my purchases over the past two months, Amazon has donated $4 to help sponsor park improvements, enrichment programs, community events, and opportunities for citizen and visitor involvement.

Next time I join a canon cleanup day, attend a festival, admire the garden at the Starsmore Nature and Visitor Center, or pass a crew performing trail maintenance, I will know that a little bit of my shopping has helped support those efforts.

Link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/84-1324887

Hiking on the Ice Requires Precautions

With trees covered in frost, snow clinging to rocks and waterfalls along creeks frozen into ice sculptures, hiking in Cheyenne Cañon during the winter months can be a magical adventure — as long as you heed a few seasonal precautions.

It’s always a good idea to check weather forecasts and plan for expected conditions. Remember that it can be significantly cooler in the cañon than it is in many residential areas of Colorado Springs.

The American Hiking Society (https://americanhiking.org/resources/cold-weather-hiking/) recommends that winter hikers dress in layers that can be peeled off or put on as conditions change. The organization suggests using a base layer made of wicking fabric that pulls sweat away from the skin. 

The group also reminds cold season hikers to wear a hat to hold in precious body heat, since our brains consume a third of the body’s energy.

Other good tips are to keep your water bottle somewhere that it won’t freeze, such as inside of your jacket, and don’t forget the sunscreen and sunglasses. While the sun is lower on the horizon during the winter, the rays can be amplified when reflecting off the snow.

Hikers should also plan ahead for the shorter days of the winter season. Temperatures drop quickly after the sunsets. It can also be a lot more difficult to watch your footing after dark, so get an early start and allow extra time for slow going on icy trails. Pack a flashlight in case you do get caught out in the dark.

Heavier snowfall may occasionally create conditions conducive to snowshoeing or even cross country skiing on the flatter trails in the canyon.

When it comes to hiking on icy trails, you might consider attaching spikes to your boots to avoid slipping and using hiking poles to maintain your balance.

In North Cheyenne Cañon Park, there tends to be a major contrast in the winter between trails on the opposite sides of the canyon. Snow and ice can melt off quickly on the sunnier north side of the canyon, leaving trails such as the Middle Columbine fairly dry. 

Meanwhile, snow can accumulate on the shady south face trails, including the Mount Cutler/Mount Muscoco trails. When the snow melts into slush then re-freezes overnight, the trails can be left with some extremely hazardous ice patches. Nothing ruins a hike faster than slipping off a steep trail, so be careful as you enjoy the winter wonderland of North Cheyenne Cañon Park.

---

If you have ideas for topics to cover in future Cañon Echo articles, send them to Rob@cheyennecanon.org.